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Pre Match Pre Match - Newcastle (A) - Monday 20:00

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It’s a nightmare early season fixture for sure. We’re nowhere near settled, their fans are frothing at the mouth and they have a team (mostly midfield really) of cynical, dirty cunts.

I’ll take any kind of win and no injuries…just get out of there. It’s not a game for Konate to be fucking about in either.
 
Also, as much as i am on the team of TAA is a legend, its nice to play Newcastle without the worry of Gordon ripping TAA
 
I’m not quite sure how to read this…are you advocating that we go full Pep and bum every dog in Newcastle on Monday night?

Tbh if you took the 2nd part of the sentence off, I thought he was implying they'd be punching horses round the city. But no. There's deffo some animal penetration mentioned
 
Also, as much as i am on the team of TAA is a legend, its nice to play Newcastle without the worry of Gordon ripping TAA

Ironically, he'd be up against Barnes or Elanga this time around as Gordon now seems to be their only player capable of playing up front
 
Dunno the Saudis seem to have an inferiority complex against us, though the crappy cup final might have given them some belief. I don't think anger over Isak will help them much.

I'm hopeful that after another full week of training, Slot will have plugged the gaps and given Konate and Kerkez an earful. Everyone will be getting close to full fitness too, so we might not have to sub off Ekitike, Mac, Frimpong etc. The subs looked so disorganised last week, which is a theme for Slot - bringing on the first lot of subs then tweaking it ten minutes later after we go to shit.
 
Anyone bringing Robbo into this after his mongy shitshow fuckfest on Friday is a halfwit.

Kerkez pace and physicality is exactly what's required, yes he might fly into a few challenges......so fucking what? These cunts are going to leave some on us, I say we fucking leave some back. Why do we have so many fucking cautious pussies on here.
It's not about him putting one on him, it's him diving in and getting a card, or diving in and getting bypassed. The alternative though is Robbo who will do the same by just being old and past it.
 
Macca. He's not 100% fit yet by all accounts. We want Slobby's energy and then we can bring Macca in for a second push later in the game, either for Slobby or Wirtz.
No way I'd put Szobo up against that midfield over even an 80% fit Macca.
 
Yeah, dropping the best player in the league, who, in the last game, set up the winning goal and scored another. Sounds like a fantastic idea.
 
Yeah, dropping the best player in the league, who, in the last game, set up the winning goal and scored another. Sounds like a fantastic idea.
He’s not the best player in the league, he just isn’t…and he didn’t set up the winning goal in that game either, but whatever…
 
Way I see it is some games require a different formula to get over the line.

Against Newcastle we already know what we’re in for, they’re practically the same team as last season minus Isak (at the moment), we need to keep it tight…..we do that by keeping the ball better (Szobo>Salah), by competing for and winning more duels (Szobo>Salah) and having more willing runners to track back and do the dirty work (Szobo>Salah), we’re good enough to beat these without having to start Mo (whose minutes need to start being managed better now that Afcon’s around the corner), Mo can be last week’s Chiesa…although I’d suspect we’ll already be in a goal or 2 lead by then, so maybe Mo can be last week’s Mo.
 
He’s not the best player in the league, he just isn’t…and he didn’t set up the winning goal in that game either, but whatever…

I mean, he was miles better than anyone last season, I can't think of who would have come close, he's goal and assists numbers were insane, not sure if theres been many seasons like it.

On setting up the winning goal, maybe a little stretch, but the ball he played in was extremely dangerous and caused havoc, and the goal wouldn't have happened without it. I'd say it was more of an assist than a lot of ones counted as assists.

Sometimes I think Dreamy ends up making people believing the opposite of the truth.
 
Mac has to start

A midfield of Gravy, Macca and Wirtz lacks athleticism though against Newcastle's midfield that's full of runners.

I would push Wirtz up as False 9 and have Szobo as 10. Play Ekitike out left instead of Gakpo who hasn't really started the season well despite scoring a fine goal in the last match
 
A midfield of Gravy, Macca and Wirtz lacks athleticism though against Newcastle's midfield that's full of runners.

I would push Wirtz up as False 9 and have Szobo as 10. Play Ekitike out left instead of Gakpo who hasn't really started the season well despite scoring a fine goal in the last match
I'd put Gakpo on the bench, move Wirtz to the left and play all four CM's. We need a striker on the pitch.
 
I'd put Gakpo on the bench, move Wirtz to the left and play all four CM's. We need a striker on the pitch.
this please. it feels like we have zero control without macallister and not enough pressing without dom. honestly feels like we’ll regret a 3 that includes wirtz, don’t think he’s ready yet
 
We haven't got yard dogs, so no matter what midfield we put out, we're getting outmuscled.

I don't like the 4 cm idea, as it would cause issues in build up, and leave us short if there's injuries.
 
I mean, he was miles better than anyone last season, I can't think of who would have come close, he's goal and assists numbers were insane, not sure if theres been many seasons like it.

On setting up the winning goal, maybe a little stretch, but the ball he played in was extremely dangerous and caused havoc, and the goal wouldn't have happened without it. I'd say it was more of an assist than a lot of ones counted as assists.

Sometimes I think Dreamy ends up making people believing the opposite of the truth.
Salah had an excellent season last year, no doubt, but as I’ve posted before I really think those figures are skewed by the team being set up almost entirely to facilitate him..he’s even stated on camera that he’s had a free pass on defensive duties under Slot (and under Klopp latterly). That matters and I’d argue that any top player would likely have a stellar stats season if granted the same position. Diaz covered so much ground on the other flank it was laughable at times and Szobo / Grav were often pulled right to compensate too.

We now have a bunch of top class players in the side and I’d be wary of skewing tactics / shape in the same way with a player in gradual decline to the detriment of others. We have to think of the future. I’ve said before, I’m very much on the fence to giving Salah 450k a week and treating him like the player he was 3-4 years ago. We have enough elsewhere to begin to be less reliant on one player, especially one who often contributes little to the overall play.

Newcastle away right now is an absolute nightmare of a game with everything going on. I’m wary of Frimpong being left to cope largely alone with their left side of the dangerous, pacy Livramento and Gordon / Elanga, in a game that they are super fired up for. Given we have (in an attacking sense) Gakpo in good form, the potentially brilliant Wirtz and Ekitike looking like he’s a genuine future star, I’d prefer Szobo’s (who is no slouch in an attacking sense) prolific work rate up and down the right flank to Salah’s lack of cover and our resulting lopsided vulnerability. Bring him on with 20 to play if we’re chasing a winner, but I’d prefer to match their work rate early on.
 
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